Phil Mickelson needs a 4-hour delay to play the U.S. Open; will he get it?

Phil Mickelson doesn’t expect to be able to do play in the U.S. Open. He will be back home on Thursday morning, seeing his daughter speak at her high-school graduation.

Even with a late-afternoon Thursday tee time and a private jet, Mickelson didn’t see much chance he could be at the graduation, then fly to Erin Hills and tee it up in his 23rd-consecutive national championship.

“I need a minimum four-hour delay most likely”, Mickelson told CBS Sports after finishing the FedEx St. Jude Classic on Sunday. “That’s the way I’ve mapped it out. I can get in the air right around my tee time, or just prior.”

He’s got a direct route, and he’s mapped it to 3 hours, 20 minutes.

“By the time I get to the course I need a four-hour delay”, Mickelson said.

However, there’s a chance the weather may work in his favor. It rained hard on Monday night in Hartford, Wisc. It’s supposed to rain substantially on Wednesday. There’s a good chance of morning thunderstorms — a 60 percent chance, per the Weather Channel — on Thursday. Maybe it all lines up right.

Mickelson, who, if he plays, will not see Erin Hills whatsoever before playing it on Thursday, is going to keep the game sharp enough to step off the jet and play, if possible.

“I am going to keep my game sharp in the next couple of days,” he said. “I’m going to go home, and when I have a few free hours on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I’ll make sure I practice and keep sharp.”